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poorly boy

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billybarney

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Hi, I have a 2 year old boar, yesterday he looked like he was having trouble with his eye, he kept closing it, it looked a bit red but nothing really bad. I took him to the vet because he seemed very quiet and would not eat anything (very unusal for him).
The vet could find no infection with his eye and then checked him over (asking me if he gets enough vitamin c. I thought I made sure he gets enough but he told me to give him lots of red peppers which he does have now and then). The vet decided to give him a painkiller and put him on antibiotics for a week. He also gave me a packet of Oxbow Critical Care Fine Ground powder to feed him through a syringe. I have mixed this up and started giving it to Billy every couple of hours but I am not sure of the dose I am meant to be giving him. Has anyone else used this powder before? I want to make sure I am giving him enough as at the moment I dont think i am. Please help me get my lively Billy back:(
 
Did the vet check for any ulceration of the eye? I am surprised you weren't given any drops.

I am thinking there must be another reason he's stopped eating although his sore eye could be putting him off. If he isn't eating anything at all you need to feed him 120 mls of syringe food per 24 hours. I would aim to give him about 20 - 25 mls per sitting. Is he still passing droppings?
 
Hi thanks for replying so quickly. I really do need to give him more then. I was confused with the mixing instructions, it says 'mix one part critical care with 3 parts of warm water. Then underneath it says 'give 3 tbsp per kg of body weight daily'. Sorry if I sound thick but does that mean 3 tablespoons of the mix then add anothr 3 tbsp of water per mix. He weighs 2lb 8 1/4 ozs.
His eye looks a lot better but I have not seen him do any poos, is this normal though if he hasnt eaten anything solid.
Thanks for your help as I am totally confused, the nurse didnt really explain the mix to me properly.
 
1 part to three will mean 1 tablespoon Critical Care then add 3 tablespoons of water to it as per instructions. He may be eating the soft poos he is doing but he should be pooing if he gets enough food.

If you are not familiar with syringe feeding this guide is very good :

http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

If he is in pain he won't feel like eating. Is your vet a knowledge one where piggies are concerned? If not I would be inclined to find one in your area that is a bit more familiar with piggies. He may need pain meds & eye drops.

If no poops appear soon you may need to see the vet to get him some medicine to help his gut keep moving.

Hope he gets better soon :)
 
Thank you for all your advice, I was worried as I didnt realise guinea pigs could become poorly so quickly. Anyway I have given him some more critical care and hes also had his antibiotic. He seems to have perked up a bit. He's moving around and seemed happier when I was holding him. Because of the confusion I had with the dosage I dont think he's had as much as he should today but I will make sure he gets it tomorrow. hopefully he will also have done a few poos - fingers crossed.
 
Please weigh any ill guinea pig daily; you think you see him nibble, but only the scales can tell you the truth about the food intake.

Has your vet checked for ulceration?
 
Great news:)) Checked on Billy this morning and he has done some poos, although very small and soft. He also managed to eat the two strips of red pepper that he had not been interested in earlier. Hes just had some more pepper and seems to be back to chattering again, now nibbling on some hay.
His eye looks completely normal too.

I dont know what was wrong with him but will keep him on the antibiotics, critical care and weigh him to see how he goes. Have to take him back to the vets next week. Thank god hes perked up today as we are now snowed in and wouldnt be able to get him back there!

Thanks again for all your help, would anyone have an idea of what was wrong with him. I have just changed to a cheaper food and hay as a bit broke at the moment. Hes brother is absolutely fine but think I will switch back to the better food and timothy hay - hes worth itx)x)x)
 
Hi, Have just weighed Billy he has lost about 2 ozs yesterday which isnt good. He does look better in himself, but every now and then looks a bit fluffed up and sad. If I give him a cuddle though he usually perks up again. Had a bit of trouble with the critical care this morning could only get him to have 10ml. I think it was suggested I should give him at least 20ml per sitting. I will keep at it as I cant afford for him to lose any more weight. Should I also be syringing him some water, I think he did have some during the night but not much. Thank you loads again for all your help its horrible being anxious all the time:(
 
just wanted to send healing vibes for your little piggie and hope he gets better soon as cant be of much help anywhere else where hes concerned
 
billybarney said:
Hi, Have just weighed Billy he has lost about 2 ozs yesterday which isnt good. He does look better in himself, but every now and then looks a bit fluffed up and sad. If I give him a cuddle though he usually perks up again. Had a bit of trouble with the critical care this morning could only get him to have 10ml. I think it was suggested I should give him at least 20ml per sitting. I will keep at it as I cant afford for him to lose any more weight. Should I also be syringing him some water, I think he did have some during the night but not much. Thank you loads again for all your help its horrible being anxious all the time:(
Click to expand...

I would syringe him a little water after the last syringe feed & ensure his mouth is clean of Critical Care to prevent sores forming. When syringing water make sure you use the syringe with the nozzle still on, not the food one (which should have had the end cut off & made smooth) Always syringe water slowly, maybe a 0.1ml at a time, don't aim towards the back of the throat, aim towards the inside of his cheek & allow him to swallow inbetween.

Hope that helps. Don't worry if he only takes 10ml of food, just try him with another 10ml after half an hour or something.
 
Update: I think Billy is on the mend at last. Yesterday didnt start off great I had to really push him to have 10ml of the critical care, then the next feed 10ml again with a lot of stubborness and then the next couple he would only take 5ml. I did trek out in the snow to the pet shop to get him some burgess dandelion and marigold herbage which I thought might get him interested. When I got home, SUCCESS he got stuck in straight away, I was so relieved. He then managed to eat some pepper and brocolli stalk.
I had divided him and his brother Barneys cage with a modified cd rack so they could see each other (I wanted to make sure I knew what he was eating and pooing ok). When I went to check on him later he had somehow managed to get over to his brothers side so I put him back over again. A while later I checked on him he was back with his brother again so I thought 'how sweet he wants to be with his brother'. I took the divider away and then Barney decided to give it the large one and start wriggling at him. Anyway they soon settled down again.
This morning I weighed Billy he had lost 1oz which was better than 2oz the day before. I decided to give him his usual veggies to see if he would be interested. Success again - He started looking for me when he could hear me tapping the bowl and jumping up, he then got stuck in with his brother beside him as always. He seems back to his normal self, still on the antibiotics just need to fatten him up again.
One last question: is it dangerous to give them too much carrot, as they love this and have been having it everyday. I did read on an earlier thread that it can make piggies sick. I hope I wasnt to blame for making him ill:(
Is there any veggie list I can get to refresh my memory on the good stuff they can have ie. daily, weekly, moderately etc?

Thank you Guinea Pig Form for being there for me, I cant praise you highly enough for all your advicexx>>>
 
I'm so pleased your boy is feeling better :)

This thread gives info regarding food :

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30297


Hope that helps. Carrots are high in Vitamin A so aren't supposed to be fed every day, if you have to feed him carrots give them every other day or feed baby ones like Channtenay. I used to feed my oldie piggy carrots every day & she lived until she was 7 years old so I wouldn't worry too much rolleyes
 
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